Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Uh oh....I think my scanner is crapping out. Maybe it's taking revenge for the bad things I said about those autos a couple days ago.

I'm due for a new one though......but that doesn't mean I want to go out and buy one. Why can't things last 15-20 years like they used to? I'm in a good 10 - and kaput!!!

So forgive the weird scanning contrasts (I scanned on two different days). You'll still get the idea of what wonderful Linden cards I have landed over the past week.

Sorry....did I say wonderful? Messier - ugh! I really hope the Habs can rally and knock off the Rangers in 7. I don't think I'll be able to stand Messier and crew being paraded around during the Finals. After all, it's the 20th Anniversary of what I consider to be the best Finals series I've ever watched (and the worst outcome ever).

I didn't cringe too much in picking up this card though. Since it came in a trade (along with some HOF autos). So Messier doesn't cost me any money. Ha!

I did shell out for this one though. Drat!

I was laughing a couple times over the weekend when I mentioned that I was glad (for one) that Linden had never won a Cup. When I saw that In The Game was releasing a Stanley Cup themed product, I thought for sure I was safe for at least one release.

This Panini Playbook AutoBIOGRAPHY card came in a solid trade with Dylan at the weekend show. He had shown it off to me a few months ago when he pulled the card at a local shop. It hung around in his collection long enough for me to swing a sweet deal.

I picked up this Linden and the Michel Goulet auto card I showed a couple days back. Can't go wrong with that pair. The two cards going back his way were newer to my trade box, but I was happy to see them go his way.

A very fair trade in my opinion. Win-win!! Thanks Dylan.

Just a quick aside.....notice the sticker auto on this Linden card. Now remember the Cournoyer auto from a couple days ago? That one is hard signed. What gives? This Linden would have been spectacular as a hard signed offering.

An observation.

This card is one that I already have, but was gifted to me and I'm happy to add it into the collection.

It bounced between a couple of show/trade night regulars before hitting my hands and it took all of about 10 seconds when I walked in on Saturday.

I love when Linden cards just up and slap me in the face. Thanks guys!

Hoo boy....another Messier. This time in Vancouver garb. To see him on a Franchise card makes my skin crawl. No wonder this one didn't scan well.

With this silver version I now have all three versions (black, silver, gold). Into the box they go....never to be seen again.

Or maybe I just put a sticker on the toploader covering up Messier. Ha ha!

A nice triple card from the In The Game Used product. I picked this up as a throw in on another card I landed (which I will show off down the road).

Free is good.

This one was not free. But I was happy with the price I paid for it.

The gold parallel out of 10 was a nice addition to the collection. I had won it on ebay but the seller was local so I was able to pick it up at the show. No shipping charges either. Sweet!

A couple of pretty nice pieces on the card too (a little foreshadowing).

In The Game offered up some Spring Expo redemption cards this year and this Team ITG piece was one of them. Limited to just 9 copies, I knew that if I wanted one I'd have to play my cards right.

Luckly I snagged this one at the right time. Got it for less than what other had gone for. Can't beat that.

And a nice two color piece on the Linden....bonus.

And as a bonus....how about the gold 1/1 parallel. I was shown this at the card show on Saturday but the price tag was more than I was willing to spend (for a redemption). But I could understand why the price was where it was.

Just look at the piece on that Linden!!!

Yeah...you're not seeing things. It's identical to the silver version.

Now compare the Bure.

Night and day.

That Bure piece is literally bursting out of the card and easily makes this a must-have for a Bure collector. I knew that if I wanted the card I'd have to bite the bullet.

So Sunday when I went back for round two, I decided to make a cash & trade offer. I do feel like I overpaid for the card, but with the amount of $$$ I shelled out on the transaction being a lot less than the price tag, I was ok with it. It is after all a 1/1.

Well not really....the Linden piece is the same.

So that concludes my Linden pickups over the past week. Say for one.

There was one card that trumped 'em all. But I'm holding off on showing that one because as awesome as it is....it might become even more awesome if the stars align.

Monday, May 26, 2014

When I got home from work today I saw no less than five bubble mailers shoved into my mailbox. Easily one of the more fruitful maildays I've had in this hobby.

Some of the addresses I recognized as ebay purchases or hobby board transactions, but there were a couple that I recognized but couldn't figure out what I had bought or traded for.

One package in particular came from Casey over at Drop The Gloves! ...oops, I mean House Of Oglethorpe (still getting used to the name change). When I opened the envelope my eyes widened and jaw dropped.

The note included was short and sweet. It basically said that he appreciated my quest for HOF autos and that he'd like to pass along some cards to me.

I was excited to read the note and equally excited to see the stellar offering.

Joe Nieuwendyk

(Inducted in 2011)

Hey, didn't I just trade for a Joe Who on the weekend? Why yes I did. But this Nifty 50 piece blows that one out of the water. The design, the auto, everything about this card just pops.

In fact, I think the Nifty 50 set is one of the nicest hard signed auto sets out there. Great concept. If I were to build an auto set, this would definitely be on the shortlist.

Glenn Anderson

(Inducted in 2008)

Hey, didn't I just trade for a Glenn Anderson on the weekend? Why yes I did. But this Trilogy Legendary Scripts card again destroys what I have.

The autograph is way, way better and I love the horizontal design. And you can't see it in the scan, but the matte finish / glossy finish combination really adds to the allure of the card. Great card.

Brad Park

(Inducted in 1988)

Hey, didn't I just trade for a Brad Park on the weekend? Nope! So you are one for three Casey! :)

These Epic Signature cards are yet another gorgeous set to pull hard signed autos from. And Park has a solid sig. Steady and not too complex (his short name helps with that), it's a great example to add to the growing collection.

So let me take a moment right now to say a huge THANK YOU to Casey. I've enjoyed your ever evolving blog and collections. And your generosity is very much appreciated. Cheers!

So now....this means that I have a couple of extra signatures. What to do? I think I need to do something special to commemorate these wonderful additions.

One of the other big snags at The Card Show last weekend was the bulk lot of Masked Men 6 cards spread out over a huge table full of stacks of singles priced to go.

I love half price tables...especially when the cards are nicely priced to begin with. To top it off, it was late in the show Sunday so I was able to grab these at $2 a pop. FYI....I'll do that all day long.

This year's goalie mask offering is a diverse and interesting checklist. Some good, some bad, some ugly. At 50 cards it makes for a challenging chase. One that I will take my time with (as always).

So let's see what faces I came home with.

Vintage!!! I love anything and everything fibreglass. Garrett's Nordiques lid is a definite fave. Even in hand drawn form this card just pops with color and design. Goalie mask design that is.

I'll admit, the latest Masked Men design doesn't quite do it for me. The square box, thick marshmallow font and simple textures just take away from a very impressive sketch of the goalie. I also think that there is a little too much wasted space. More room could have been utilized for the actual mask and less on the background and overall design. But that's just me.

Kelly Hrudey. An interesting choice. Both in the sense that he's in the set to begin with and that ITG didn't go with his Hollywood lid from his LA days. This Sharks mask is still pretty sweet.

I like that they went with some unique names from the past. Better than seeing the same ol' faces year after year.

This Curtis Joseph mask is interesting in that it reminds me of Ron Tugnutt's lid. It's definitely not what most people think of when they hear "Curtis Joseph's mask". But fear not, there are two Joseph cards on the checklist. So I can only assume the other is the CuJo special.

The King (and if he continues his ways....MVP). A nice rendering of Lundqvist's mask. Great detail. I really like the work of the artist on these cards.

Henrik has slowly built his mask into one of those iconic designs that will likely stand the test of time. And there is a long line of big name NYR masks to fall in line with.

Another interesting choice. Clint Malarchuk is definitely known more for one single event as opposed to his goalie mask, so it's nice to see that he gets some face time for his Buffalo mask.

It would've been nice to see a little more of his mask as the angle really doesn't give much away in terms of design. I see a lot of purple and gold and a little bit of character design but that's it.

And unfortunately there is zero information on the back. Nothing to indicate what is on the mask, when the mask was used and even what team the mask is associated with. Big miss there.

Remember these two? If you collected mask cards back in the day, these guys were the ones to get. Manny and "Locks". Hey, I think I just created a new cop show.

To this day, Lacher's mask is still one of the most intimidating and awesome looking. Love it.

Some Chicago detail in spades. A pair of really intricate goalie mask designs which can really be appreciated in these cards.

I'd love to see a little more color in Crawford's mask but I'm slowly coming to accept it. The "Bulin Wall" mask is instantly recognizable. Great stuff.

Fantastic Flyers. Mason always has great designs on his mask - even going back to his Columbus days. Emery's offering looks to be an older model as I think he still employs the boxer motif.

Regardless, they are a couple great adds to the checklist.

Meh.....I'm not that big on International masks. I think the Masked Men sets should just be NHL goalie masks. Or do a completely unique subset. But these two cards don't really do anything for me.

Moreso these cards. Who are these guys, what teams do they play for and why do I care about them or their masks? Are they NHLers? If not, get 'em out.

As an aside, the Captain America mask is kinda neat.

So that's 15 cards to start off with, leaving me with 35 on the wantlist. These cards don't seem to be popping up very much so it might take a while for me to complete the set. But that's ok.....I've still card a couple cards from Masked Men I still outstanding.

Fair warning to you all....these cards do not look good scanned, but are fantastic in person.

Six more cards were added to the HHOF Autos project on Sunday, one of the best weekend hauls I've had to date.

The addition of a number of HOF signatures in the new ITG product Lord Stanley's Mug has a lot to do with it. Good autos for a low price. Make it easier to trade for.

Let the show begin.

Bryan Trottier

(Inducted in 1997)

When my 100-card project is complete, I'm sure there will be a number of New York Islanders representing. They are from an era that is near and dear to my heart as it was really the time when I discovered the NHL.

Trottier was at the forefront as I was probably a bigger fan of his than Bossy. Billy Smith though took the cake.

Trottier has a nice solid signature (if you could see it) and his penmanship hasn't drifted a bit over all these years.

Glenn Anderson

(Inducted in 2008)

Now how much is Anderson a Hall Of Famer as opposed to how much did he benefit from being on such a stacked team? It would have been interesting to see what a career he would have had if he played on a different team.

Sure, he had some contributing years with other teams later on in his career, but the reason why he's in the HOF is because of the Oilers dynasty. C'est la vie.

This auto is so-so, but was basically a throw in on another deal...so it works for me.

Joe Nieuwendyk

(Inducted in 2011)

Fun Fact: I can spell Joe's last name without looking. Thank you very much.

Nieuwendyk was such an exciting player when he burst onto the scene in the late 80's with Calgary. A pair of 50-goal seasons will do that. And while he won three Stanley Cups with three different teams, he will always be a Flame to me.

Joe's signature looks a little rushed, but I wanted him in a Calgary themed card and this was a great example of that.

Larry Robinson

(Inducted in 1995)

All of these Lord Stanley's Mug cards came from the same dealer. He had a bunch of them on his table. And when I was deciding which players to pick out I was going for some of the "cheaper" cards. I was surprised to see Robinson in the mix.

I'd like to mix things up a little more with different designs and releases for autos in this project, but I won't complain about picking up these four from this set.

Larry's auto is one that is immediately recognizable. A little sloppier than examples I've seen in the past, but still very strong in comparison to some others out there.

Robinson's resume speaks for itself. He goes down as one of the best - period. 958 points over 20 seasons. Always had steady numbers throughout. PIMS, +/-, assists, TOI, you name it.

A two-time Norris trophy winner (and he would have won more if not for some guy named Orr), a ten-time All-Star and won six Cups with the Habs, Robinson led a dominant defence group that will never - NEVER be duplicated.

Ed Belfour

(Inducted in 2011)

Eddie The Eagle has such a memorable goalie mask...but he was actually known for being a pretty darn solid goalie as well.

He rocketed on the scene in the late 80's and led a surpise Chicago team to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1992. After that, the was the man. He played nearly 20 years in the NHL with (let me remember the colors)...red, teal, green, blue and gold.

He has 484 wins which ranks him third all time. That right there will get you in the Hall. He's a two-time Vezina winner and is one of a select few goalies to win the Calder as rookie of the year (1991).

I really wanted a Chicago card for my Belfour auto and was happy to see this offering on the same table as the other sigs shown above. It was nicely added into the deal made and I'm really happy to add it.

Steve Shutt

(Inducted in 1993)

Hey, this card scanned not too bad. And it's a good thing because it looks fantastic. Those are some meaty pork chops!

Shutt, like Robinson, was a member of such an incredible dynasty team. But his numbers aren't just as a result of playing with some incredible players. I'd go out on a limb and say that Shutt may be one of the most underrated goal scorers of all time.

Look at the facts - Four 45+ goal seasons. 424 career goals in just 13 seasons. Nine straight seasons of 30 or more goals. Just awesome.

I think Shutt gets overlooked because of some guy named Lafleur, but number 22 definitely played an important role in his team's five Cup wins during his career.

I love Steve Shutt's auto. His and Mike Bossy's look very similar. Fluid, bold, with purpose and legible. This Cup NHL Enshrinements card just magnifies those qualities.

Six more spectacular additions (crappy scans and all) and puts me close to the 60 card mark. Well on my way.

Sunday, May 25, 2014

I was back for more today at The Card Show. What a weekend!! I found even more HOF autos, a handful of Masked Men 6 cards (finally), yet another huge Linden for the pc and I couldn't resist going back for a double dip of Parkies.

When I saw the gorgeous batch of 51/52 Parkhurst cards sitting in a showcase yesterday, I knew that I wouldn't be leaving the show with just the three I picked up Saturday. I knew I'd be going back. The only question was - how many am I gonna get?

Well...the answer is three. Not because I ran out of cash, but because I decided to go in a little different direction (stay tuned - I'll leave the best for last).

1951/52 Parkhurst

#23 John "Moe" Henderson

Henderson played his entire NHL career with the Boston Bruins and lasted eight years in the big show. His numbers didn't astound, but he did produce quite well as a player/coach for Hershey at the end of his career.

It's amazing to think that he was 6ft tall yet weighed only 180lbs. He'd have no chance in today's game.

He does have a link to the Hockey Hall of Fame...he is the nephew of the Conacher brothers (Roy, Lionel and Charlie), all of whom have been inducted.

The card itself is a little soft on the corners, but mighty fine for the price I paid. Good centering and quality detail....for a bland photo. I like it.

1951/52 Parkhurst

#32 Ray Barry

This card is interesting. Ray Barry played all of 18 games in the NHL. Yet Parkhurst decided that he was worthy of being included in the 105-card set. I can only imagine some of the players who got snubbed only to see that Barry got his due.

After his quick cup of coffee in the pros, he played five seasons for the Calgary Stampeders of the WHL (not that WHL). Neat.

The card again has some decent corners and centering (considering the price I paid) and really the only thing that sticks out for me is the "off" print. You can really see the ghosting of the image layers on his skates. Not sure if that is consistent on all his 51/52 Parkies, but I'm happy with it.

1951/52 Parkhurst

#75 Turk Broda

Alright, a name many of you older folk will recognize - FINALLY!!

I decided to go with this Broda as my final Parkie pickup as opposed to spending the money on three or four lesser known players. The price was excellent and the card is equal to that (if not more). I'd say this is the pinnacle card in the small collection so far.

Walter "Turk" Broda is a Hall of Fame goalie who played his entire career with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He won five Stanley Cups, two Vezina trophies and is ranked #60 on The Hockey News' list of Top 100 Greatest Hockey Players.

He was in net for one of the greatest comebacks in Stanley Cup Finals history when his Leafs team were down 3 games to none to Detroit in 1942 and came back to win the Cup in 7 games.

A 300-game winner, he is without a doubt a huge name to add to this pc.

The card itself is very solid in my opinion. Good corners (yes... a little soft, but more than acceptable for me). Good color. Good detail (although I don't know what's up with Turk's face...he looks a little cartoonish). The back of the card is slightly dirty but again...it's all relative.

Three more fantastic additions to the Parkhurst project. A little weekend splurge, but definitely worth it.

A tremendous success at The Card Show on Saturday with regards to my hard signed Hall Of Fame autographs project. I love the element of trading with this quest and I really feel like the people on the other end enjoy it too.

Normally, people (especially dealers) are hesitant to trade, but when I explain what my mission is and the parameters I have given it, they seem to open up a lot more. Sure there are a few who are dead set against trades (and so be it...that's fair) but most are willing to work with me to land some new goodies.

And I managed to hit a few new sigs. Nothing mindblowing but no doubt about it - some solid pickups.

Dickie Moore

(Inducted in 1974)

Yeah...let's start with a big one. This Moore card is beautiful. The design, the photo, the colors, the vintage feel and of course the autograph. Beautiful penmanship nicely long the sweet spot of the card.

Look at those beefy gloves. Amazing to think that players these days have something about a third of the size. The leather laces just drooping down, the wood stick, the simple tape knob on top, slick back hairstyle. It's all gold!!

Gerry Cheevers

(Inducted in 1985)

Another name I've had my eye on for a while. This card is a great addition to the collection. I really like the design. And the photo used is fantastic - just look at the possessed stare coming from behind the stitches mask. Leather again plays a huge part of the photo. Love the pads.

Gerry's signature is also very solid. With purpose, it does lean a bit on the illegible side. It could very easliy be mistaken for "Gary Christmas".

Jacques Lemaire

(Inducted in 1984)

Yes, he does have a helmet on, but the Franchises set is such a beautiful product. I couldn't say no to the trade.

Jacques has a very nice linear autograph which needed to be on an angle to fit. That's no problem with me. I like the "autographs" design on the card and if I were to build an autograph set...this one would get a serious look.

Michel Goulet

(Inducted in 1998)

Michel along with the Stastny brothers were the epitome of underdog in the early 1980's. I loved watching them - even when they lost a lot - battle their fierce rivals in the Montreal Canadiens. Goulet was an incredible player who was severely overshadowed by the superstar players and teams of the day. Gretzky, Kurri, Bossy, Trottier, Lafleur, Dionne. It's hard to compete with names like that. But Goulet held his own.

I love the fact that I was able to find (and trade for) a card with him in his Nordiques garb. Seeing him play with Chicago later on in his career just didn't feel right. I remember him best as a Nord.

The auto is meh. But what can you do. It's hard signed. Works for me.

Norm Ullman

(Inducted in 1982)

I always thought of Norm Ullman as a soft spoken, not so intimidating guy. He looks to be unassuming and passive. But you don't become a Hall Of Famer by being a guy others can step all over.

Norm was incredibly reliable, rarely missing a game, and was one of the paramount forecheckers in hockey history. An excellent stickhandler, his career stats put him among the best ever centers in the game - period.

He was so well respected as a player that he earned a spot on The Hockey News' list of Top 100 Players of All Time (ranked #90).

This card comes from the Panini Classics product (like the Goulet) but this offering is one of the highly desired inserts. The Originals celebrates the Original Six teams (of which Ullman was a member of both Detroit and Toronto). I love the retro feel and colors and the signature (although not his best effort) is a great example of hard signed goodness.

Yvan Cournoyer

(Inducted in 1982)

The Roadrunner is particularly sweet addition to the collection. The big bold signature on this Panini Playbook card does my Linden shame with his sticker offering. Why Yvan's auto is hard signed is beyond me...but I ain't complainin'.

Cournoyer has (according to Captain Canuck) 37 Stanley Cups. He's done it all. And what a group of guys to do it with. If you were a Montreal fan during the time Yvan played with the team....you were loving life.

A career cut short due to back problems, I can only imagine the numbers he would have put up if he had a long, healthy career. Easily would have been a 1000 point player and would have won what 8, 12, 23 more rings?

There's no denying what he brought to the table and to have his signature in the collection just makes for a fine finish.

Six great cards added to the collection. What more can I say? Other than, I hope Sunday is just as productive.

Current Collection - 52 HOF Autos(Yes, that's right.....I'm now past the halfway mark. What a blast it has been building the first half of this collection. I can only hope that the remaining cards come as easily and as fun....ly as the first bunch)

Saturday, May 24, 2014

The weekend of The Card Show is here. It's debut last November was a huge success and the weeks leading up to this spring's offering was even greater. More tables, more dealers and more cards.

I had a fantastic first day at the event. Some solid Linden pickups (which will be shown off soon), some excellent adds to the HOF auto pc (I love trading) and I even had some change left in the wallet for some Parkies.

My 51/52 Parkhurst project is something of a "career quest". I by no means am aggressively pursuing cards for this side collection but when they present themselves at a show for the right price...I'll pick up a few.

And I felt that the stars were aligned to do just that. So let's see who I picked up.

1951/52 Parkhurst

#30 Adam Brown

He plays for Boston.

NEXT!!!

Ok...just kidding. But the name Adam Brown does not bring back vintage memories.

Nicknamed "The Flying Scotsman", Adam had a 10-year career in the NHL playing with three different teams. A Stanley Cup winner in 1943 with the Red Wings, it was only his final season in which he suited up for the Bruins.

He ended up with 217 points (104G 113A) in 391 career games. He may be better known as the dad of goalie Andy Brown (who was the last goalie to play in an NHL game with no mask).

I wonder how many players back in the 50's were born outside of North America. It's neat seeing a birthplace of Scotland. I'd guess it to be a rarity.

The card itself has some beautiful centering. And the corners are very strong - one of the best in my small but growing collection. It's a little miscut in the sense that it isn't square, but I think that's just the way it was back then. Remember....these cards are old.

The bold B on the front of the jersey is definitely old school and the colors (albeit two tone) look bold. A very nice add for the price.

1951/52 Parkhurst

#38 Al Dewsbury

Chicago.

NEXT!!!

Yes, it's another name that does not ring a bell. But I'm all about doing a little interwebs searching.

An All-Star in 1951, Al "Dews" Dewsbury was an imposing d-man for his time. 6'2" and 202lbs (that was big back then). He had a 10-year career in the big leagues as well playing with Detroit and Chicago (he actually won a Cup with the Red Wings in 1950).

Imagine for a second....he played (and won a Cup) with Gordie Howe, Ted Lindsay, the list goes on. That would be an incredible story in itself.

He was always a reliable and durable defenceman. I wonder why his NHL career was so short (or what I would consider to be short). Did players in that era have long 20-year careers back then?

The card is a little weaker on the corners (but way more than acceptable for me) and the colors don't seem as impressive. In fact, his pants look a little red. What up with that?

Very nice centering round out this great addition to the collection. And again, the price was right.

1951/52 Parkhurst

#87 Tod Sloan

Leafs represent!!!

Aloysius Martin "Tod" Sloan had a slightly longer NHL career (14 years) mostly with the Toronto squad. He was a member of three Stanley Cup winners ('49 and '51 with Toronto and '61 with Chicago) and played in three All-Star games.

An interesting note about the 1949 season for Sloan, he appeared in 29 regular season games but did not make an appearance in the playoffs. As a result, his name was not etched into the Stanley Cup. He was included though on the 1949 Maple Leaf team picture (nice booby prize).

He was a speedy center (5'10" and 171lbs) with some hands apparently. He hit the 20 goal mark 5 times and finished his NHL career with 220 goals and 482 points. He liked to agitate as well racking up 100+ pims on three separate occasions.

This card has the best action shot of the three with an actual rink in the background. Much like the Dewsbury, the corners are a little soft but the centering is there (which is huge for me). Some good blue tones and impressive detail on the jersey make this a keeper.

Overall, these three cards are perfect for the set I am building. I'm not looking for the highest of high-end, I just want some cards that I can enjoy looking at and appreciate for their age and condition.

Friday, May 16, 2014

There's just something about vintage design. The simplicity. The colors. The "off-centered"-ness of layers. I love it.

Things that house that vintage feel in this hobby that I've really taken notice of in the past include goalie masks, card designs and now.....wrappers.

Recently it was reported that Topps has decided to celebrate the vintage-ness of their baseball wrappers by making limited edition prints available to the public. Every single Topps baseball wrapper from 1952 through 1989 will get the art treatment.

Tell me this doesn't look just absolutely stunning. In the immortal words of J.J. Walker.......DY-NO-MITE!!!!!

And at the same time, I pray they don't do the same with hockey. (ok...yes I do).

In fact.....the last time I went to the Toronto Expo, I saw some gorgeous looking vintage wrapper art. Right up my alley.

These pieces come from The Hockey Nut and look really nice in person. Vivid colors, cool designs and reeking of vintage.

Currently there are about 10 different wrapper designs available. Measuring 16"x20" and presented as a canvas wrap, they bite the wallet at $99.00 plus shipping.

Now these don't have the OPC logo in full so I'm guessing that there's some sort of grey area with regards to copyright. Whereas the Topps baseball ones are made and sold by the company itself.

And then there are those who go for the real deal all the way.

Lovely.....simply lovely.

I never appreciated wrappers back when I was a kid. Maybe other than the smell of the addictive bubblegum and the card locker redemption....but that's it. But I would have loved to have kept some of the oldies for posterity.

It's amazing to see what some of the old offerings go for online. Which might be part of the reason why I enjoy them so much. If they were a dime a dozen, I don't know if I would be as captured by them.

At the end of the day, this throw-away piece of sports card collecting is now anything but. And with the production of new vintage offerings, I don't see the trend slowing down anytime soon.

So, do you have any wrappers in your collection? What are your favorites? What do you think of old becoming new once again? Do these new prints turn your crank at all? Why/why not?

Thursday, May 15, 2014

A big add to the Hall of Fame collection this past week. I received a message from fellow blogger Dave over at Wax Stain Rookie who noticed some cards I posted for trade and commented tat we had never completed a swap. We soon rectified that.

It's always nice to get rid of cards that have been sitting in the trade box for a while....and in return getting cards that really make a project sing. In this case, one of the cards I gave up had only been in my possession for a matter of days - but that's beside the point.

Let's take a look at what came back my way.

Steve Yzerman

(Inducted in 2009)

Yeah......can't go wrong with a sweet sig from Stevie Y.

To pick up an autograph the calibre of Steve Yzerman is huge. Signatures of Federko, Barber, Mullen, Langway, Gillies, etc. do make the collection grow. But it's the signatures of Orr, Beliveau and now Yzerman that really beef up this project.

Yzerman sits right on the line of "solid, structured signature" and "scribble". I'm leaning towards the previous (you can actually make out his first name).

This is the fourth or fifth Glacial Graph or Ice Script-type card that is in the collection and at first I thought that they were a lesser card. But they really have started to grow on me. This Yzerman being I think the best example of the lot.

Thanks for the trade Dave!

And while I'm showing off a new HOF auto, I thought I'd update a past post.

A while back, I picked up a nice Bill Gadsby auto at a local show. It wasn't until I got home that I realized there was a bit of a printing error on the card. The white gradient used as the background for the signature wasn't lined up nicely along the bottom.

Well.....problem rectified.

This Bill Gadsby looks to be in fine, fine shape. And while the autograph might not be quite as strong as on the previous copy, my attention to design detail is a lot more calm now that the gradient is in the right spot.

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

A pair of bubble envelopes hit the mailbox recently. Both with cards that are going into non-Linden pc's. I like when I can add to some of the other side projects I'm building. Makes my collecting feel a little more diverse.

One of the sets I'm building (very slowly) is the 2010/11 ITG Between The Pipes Inspired Masks set. These cards were the first that really struck me in terms of a "sketched" mask card as opposed to a photo. Over the past couple years, this technique has become the standard for ITG's mask sets. And I for one like it. Beats the sometimes out of focus closeups that can occur with older, rarer photo offerings.

I don't normally pursue these cards with any sort of aggressiveness. It's more of a "Hey.....let's see what's going on this week." And on occasion there's card or two sitting on ebay.........overpriced. And I go back to lurking for Lindens.

This particular pickup had been sitting lonely for quite some time (a good year at least) before finally being re-posted with some options. Options that eventually led to my obtaining it.

2010/11 ITG Between The Pipes

Inspired Masks

#IM-01 Ray Emery

For some reason, Ray has two cards in this set (same with Carey Price). The concept being goalie masks with people painted on who have inspired the goalie. In this case....heavyweight boxer George Chuvalo. A man who has quite a story himself.

At the time, Emery was playing with the Ottawa Senators but a major hip issue knocked him out of action for months (and even threatened his career). He eventually returned in a backup role with the Anaheim Ducks.

Ray has had some questionable moments in the NHL. Brash, bold and never one to shy away from the situation, he can be your best ally one moment and your Achilles Heel the next.

I remember the uproar with Emery's original boxer mask design. A guy by the name of Mike Tyson. At the time, Tyson was severely shunned by the public (and to some still is). He's one who does not have a shining past.

Emery stood his ground - for a while, until the Senators finally made Ray change up his mask design. Check that. Senators GM John Muckler "had a discussion" with Ray about what was right and wrong. And Ray made the decision to go with another lid. Yeah......that's it.

Nonetheless, the boxing-style mask garnered a few incarnations from Ray. Marvin Hagler, Jack Johnson and George Chuvalo to name a few.

I plucked this card off ebay as it had sat as an overpriced (in my opinion) Buy It Now for months. Finally the Best Offer option was tagged on to the auction and I decided to strike. One price - my best price. I'd go no higher. The seller bit and I bought.

This puts me down to four cards left for the set. One of them being the other Razor Ray Emery card in the release.

Friday, May 9, 2014

Rarely have I had a mailday consisting of a pair of cards that matched one another perfectly. The last time I recall was when I received my Captain C top and bottom half cards on the same day (I don't think that one will be matched).

Today though was a very close second.

In a couple of recent product releases, some new Linden concepts have been introduced.....mainly the Nameplate. A definite love/hate subset.

Love it in the sense that there are game used letters from a jersey. Hate it in the sense that they are 1/1 cards. To build a full nameplate from one product would be a very tough task.

Currently I own one letter from the Decades 90s Nameplate and one from the ITG Used product. One Vancouver jersey, one Montreal.

Check that.

2013/14 In The Game Used

#NP-427 Nameplate "E" 1/1

This letter was won via a good ol' auction on ebay. I wasn't sure what the going rate would be on the card but I was happy to see it was par for the course. Within a few bucks of what I spent on the others in my collection.

It arrived with no protection other than a toploader.....and it was in a fairly large bubble mailer. My heart was racing a bit when I saw the envelope. Those of you who have been reading my blog for a while know why.

Thankfully the card is in top notch condition and fits nicely in next to my letter "D" from the set.

But why add just one.

2013/14 In The Game Used

#NP-428 Nameplate "N" 1/1

That's right. I added the final 'N' in Linden's name. The card came in an almost identical manner. Toploader....big bubbler. Aarrrrggghhhhh!!!!! These destined twins were both risk takers in shipping and I'm happy to say both in great condition now in my collection.

Make a note: if I ever win another one....chat with the seller before shipping.

I didn't think that I'd own half the nameplate but when I saw this latest add up for grabs as a BIN or Best Offer (and I was able to get the seller to come way down from the original price to something right along the line of what the other two went for) I thought it would be a chase to try and achieve.

Who knows when the next letter might show up. And if I'm lucky enough....I might be able to land it.

Until then, I'll just enjoy the additions to my"D"-"E"-"N" collection.

Trade night came a week later than usual to start May. This was due to the Toronto Expo and the mass exodus from my western city to the center of the universe. That suited me just fine as the weather was a heck of a lot nicer tonight than it has been over the past while.

It was a low attendance number....due in part to the date shift. But I also think it was because of the NFL Draft that occurred on the same night. Whatever.

All I know is that I was able to make a couple trades and I predictably caved and bought some wax (more on that another day). Tonight I'd like to share a couple of the cards I've added to my Hall Of Fame auto collection.

Lanny McDonald

(Inducted in 1992)

This was a bit of a back and forth in my mind. I wasn't sure if I wanted this card to be the Lanny representative in my collection. But a quick second look at the photo and I was convinced.

I definitely wanted McDonald as a Flame (which is obvious in the photo) and the photo is circa 1982ish....a prime time in Lanny's career.

A solid signature with great penmanship and it was a great trade. Happy to add this piece.

Igor Larionov

(Inducted in 2008)

The store busted open one box of the new ITG product Lord Stanley's Mug. The auto checklist is a solid offering of champions (many of whom are Hall Of Famers). I was happy to see that Larionov was one of the cards pulled.

The store is really great with trading as I have picked up a number of HOF autos from them in the past. A quick sift through my trade box and a handshake sealed the deal.

The scan does not do this card justice....they look really nice in person.

So that's two more for the project. Putting me almost to the halfway mark. There's a big show later this month and I'm hopeful that I can hit the 50% mark by the end of that weekend.